Florida 69, Kentucky 52

February 12, 2013|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

Florida 69, Kentucky 52

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Scottie Wilbekin led a balanced Florida scoring attack with 14 points, and the seventh-ranked Gators cruised to a 69-52 win over 25th-ranked Kentucky on Tuedsay at the O'Connell Center.

The Wildcats (17-7, 8-3) may have lost more than just a game. Kentucky freshman center Nerlens Noel left the game with an apparent knee injury while trying to block a shot attempt from Rosario. Noel finished with eight points, six rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes.

Willie Cauley-Stein and Julius Mays each scored 10 points to lead Kentucky.

The teams played a tight first half that featured three early lead changes.

Up 11-10, Florida went on a 12-4 run, building a 22-15 lead on a Casey Prather putback. The Gators then got hot from three-point range. Wilbekin, Rosario and Kenny Boynton followed with 3-pointers to put Florida up 31-19.

After Noel picked up his second foul with 6:26 left in the half, Florida attacked inside. A Prather dunk over Cauley-Stein put the Gators up 34-19.

The Gators led 38-25 at halftime, having scored 15 points off 11 Kentucky turnovers. Florida shot 51 percent and made five of seven 3-point attempts while holding Kentucky to 41.7 percent shooting from the field.

NOTES: Florida posted its fourth sellout of the season and second in a row. Students began lining up outside the O'Connell Center gates at 4:30 a.m. for prime spots in the student section. ... Wilbekin returned to the starting lineup for the Gators after coming off the bench against Mississippi State due to practice performance. ... Senior forward Erik Murphy also started for the Gators after turning his ankle late in Saturday's game against the Bulldogs. He scored 10 points.